Night's View
by Night-the-Dragon
Summary: College type fanfic, but with some dragon perspective thrown in the mix. Roxas and Axel meet at a club, and it all goes from there. Rated T for a bit of swearing. AkuRoku and Zemyx.
1. Chapter 1

Night's View, AkuRoku

Chapter 1

I flew through the early dawn sky, flapping my wings occasionally. I grumbled to myself as I got closer to home, and thought about what had happened. Roxas had ditched me at the stupid club, and I was left to fend for myself in the alleys until I had broken that stupid iron collar off. Iron is the only weakness I have, and it weakens my great strength and speed to almost nothing. My magic becomes useless, too. Anyway, I hissed under my breath as I slowed down, trying to buy time until I got back. I didn't want to wake Roxas up too early, after all. I was pissed off, I will admit that much, but considering he probably drank last night and then left me, I knew that it was cruel to wake him up at an ungodly hour. My silver armor shimmered in the early morning sun, and as I flew, I thought about what had led up to this.

*Last Night, 5:00 PM*

"Really? Do I have to go with you?" I whined. I was pissed, to say the least. Roxas, my closest friend since he was a child, was seriously telling me to go with him to some club.

"Yes, really. Night, I know you can't drink because it's poison for you, literally, but at least come with me so I don't look too stupid trying to find a boyfriend," Roxas explained.

"And why are you looking somewhere outside college for a boyfriend again?" I said, rolling my silver eyes, not like he could tell, however. My eyes were completely silver, no other color in them, not even white. "I thought you saw someone at your school today that piqued your interest."

"That's the thing! He's going to be there!" Roxas said, looking excited. I sighed in resignation.

"Eavesdropping again, huh?" I guessed, and he blushed, looking away. "Ah ha, I knew it! Anyway, you do realize that I'm just going to make this difficult for you, right?"

"What do you mean?" he demanded, staring at me suspiciously. I face-palmed and groaned.

"What I mean is that I'm not leaving your side, and I may just act as your chastity belt," I told him with a smirk. He paled and I laughed.

"Please don't, I really want him to like me, but I don't know how he'll take my…advances?" he begged.

"God forbid I embarrass you in front of your crush," I sniggered. "Puh-leez, don't worry! I'll try to watch from a distance, and I'll join you when you feel you're ready to introduce me! Besides, I'm sure he'll like you. This is a gay club, right?"

"Yeah, but there's always that uncertainty of if you're not sure you're gay, bi, or just got dragged along by your friends," Roxas pointed out as he began to change for the night's event.

"Well, in this case, I'm the one being dragged along, you being the dragger, and we'll just assume he's straight until either of us can see him doing something that sets off my 'gay-dar,'" I chuckled. "What's this guy look like, anyway?" I hadn't seen him before, but by the sound of it, he was new, and Roxas was already smitten.

"Oh, he's really tall, has bright, spiked red hair, emerald green eyes, tattoos in the shape of tear-drops underneath each eye, and is really thin," he said, counting each detail off on his fingers as he listed them. I nodded as I searched Roxas's heart, looking for him. I found the guy almost as soon as I started searching; he seemed to be that important to my best friend. "…You already saw him, didn't you?"

"Yup. I just needed a general description, and he seems like a cool guy," I replied with a quick nod. I could look into Roxas's heart and mind through my own heart, seeing as we're that deeply connected. My emotions could flare if his did, plummet if his did, and so on and so forth. I could feel what he felt, but not the other way around. I was thankful for that, though. If I were to feel murderous rage over being called 'short' repeatedly, then that wouldn't bode well for my young friend. He was still young to me, especially considering I'm a small silver-armored dragon that's been around the world at least five times in the past century. I only found Roxas thanks to some strange dreams I had, and they led me to find him when he was just a kid. He brought me home and I basically became the family 'pet.' Notice the quotes. I will never be a pet to ANYONE. My title in his family changed as Roxas got older, and I became his closest friend, one that he could share anything and everything with. That's how that worked out. Anyway, now that I knew what Roxas's potential boyfriend looked like, I approved. He seemed like Roxas's type. I know Roxas just thought he was cute, but I knew that would eventually change into a vast web of emotions. My thoughts were that things would most certainly go further than just meeting tonight. That is, if Roxas could get the guts to even speak to him. I didn't even realize Roxas was speaking to me until he yelled my name.

"NIGHT!"

"Aaahh! What?" I yelped, covering my ears. I had super-sensitive senses, and shouting in my ear is one way to piss me off and stun me at the same time.

"Were you even listening to me?" Roxas demanded, tapping his foot.

"Ugh, NO. Repeat what you said. Sorry, I was kinda distracted," I told him.

"…Fine. I said his name is Axel," he said.

"Well, I approve. He seems nice enough, just the look of him makes me think he just wants to get into someone's pants, though," I said after a brief moment of silence. Roxas shook his head.

"I won't let that happen, it won't be a one-night stand or anything, I promise," he assured me. I narrowed my eyes as he pulled out my iron collar from a drawer, and I snarled furiously.

"Are you shitting me?" I snarled. "You know I hate that thing! I can't do much with it on, you know that! Why are you putting that on me?"

"Because, I want you to behave while we're out, and not getting into another near-murder situation like last time," Roxas explained with an annoyed look. I remembered that, too. I had nearly killed a guy last time we went to a club because he kept trying to step on me and called me a midget. I'm not that short! Yes, I realize I'm only about a foot and a half tall, but still…

"Roxas…Please don't make me where it! What if something happens to you? I can't get to you fast enough if something does!" I tried to reason. He wasn't having any of it.

"Nope. You'll stay on my shoulder, like usual, but you ARE wearing the collar. I'll unlock it when we leave, or if someone does something to me," he said firmly. I grumbled irritably about it the rest of the time we had until we got there.

*Back to the Present*

I sighed as I got close enough to the apartment that I could see it just a few miles away. I wasn't looking forward to an argument, butt it wasn't like I would just let Roxas abandoning me slide. Even if he DID bring his potential boyfriend back with him. I noticed the kitchen window was open, so I glided in. Thankfully, it was already nine in the morning by the time I got back, and the pair was awake and chatting in the living room.

"Roxas, I'm back!" I announced as I landed on the table lightly. They looked at me, and Roxas gave a hesitant wave as I narrowed my eyes to slits at him.

"Sorry, Night…" he mumbled. Axel, who looked confused, spoke up.

"What's going on?" he asked. I sighed and launched into the explanation. Man, this would take a while…


	2. Chapter 2

Night's View, AkuRoku

Chapter 2

*In the Club at 10:37 PM*

I had to keep a somewhat casual and happy demeanor as Roxas and I hung out at the bar. I had already refused an alcoholic drink about six times already, and I was starting to get very pissed off. Roxas had noticed and had the staff leave me alone. I had the iron collar locked on, and Roxas had the key in his back pocket. I had already attempted a few times to get it, but Roxas noticed each time and scolded me for it. I sighed; tonight was going to suck. We were watching the redhead from a safe distance, or at least it seemed to me, anyway. He was hanging out with his own friends, a boy with dirty blond hair styled in a mullet sort of thing, and another, who was about Roxas's height and had dark blue hair with some of it covering his right eye. Of what I could see of his eyes, or rather, eye, they seemed to be blue with a slight violet tint to them. The dirty blond guy had aqua colored eyes, and he seemed very…bubbly and cheery. The smallest of the three seemed quiet and almost introverted, but he still seemed to speak occasionally. I couldn't hear them over the music, but then I noticed they were occasionally throwing curious looks our way. Axel looked at his friends and said something I couldn't make out, and then started to approach. Roxas wasn't even paying attention. I quickly turned to Roxas from where I stood on the bar and got his attention.

"He's coming this way!" I hissed. Roxas looked nervous and panicked, and I added, "Don't even expect me to help you too much. It's payback for putting this damn thing on me."

"Hey there," the redhead's voice said from behind us. I turned slightly so I was facing him, and Roxas turned all the way around to face him, too. Roxas looked stunned to know that Axel was speaking to him, of all people. I groaned inwardly; looks like it was Night to the rescue again, ugh.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, but Axel almost jumped when he saw me talk. He quickly regained himself.

"Nothing much, just watching a cutie and his pet with my friends," Axel said, smirking slightly. I almost scowled and turned my back on him, but I knew Roxas wouldn't forgive me if I did, so I just brushed it off. I would speak to Axel later about it.

"Well, if you must know, I'm Night, and I'm not a pet of any kind," I corrected him with the utmost restraint. I gently elbowed Roxas to get him to snap out of it. I could feel the fear and panic emanating from him, and I told him via telepathy, 'Don't worry, I'm right here.'

"I-I'm Roxas," Roxas finally said after a few tense seconds. I sighed inwardly with relief; I knew Roxas was eager to date Axel, but whenever Roxas tried to speak to a guy he was interested in, he froze, and it was always up to me to thaw him out. Axel held out his hand in greeting.

"Name's Axel. Got it memorized?" he said, and I almost snickered. Keyword: ALMOST. I barely held it in, and resorted to leaning on Roxas's shoulder. I held out a hand, my three claws shining from the dim light of the club. Axel shook my hand carefully, noticing how sharp my claws were. I couldn't blame him; my claws could hack through a thick-trunked tree in one shot if I didn't have on this DAMN COLLAR! Roxas, on the other hand, extended his hand agonizingly slowly, and shook firmly with Axel. I rolled my eyes, not that anyone could tell.

"So, uh, Axel, what brings you over here?" I asked, trying to start up a conversation.

"Well, I noticed you two, and seeing as my friends over there aren't being as much help as I'd thought they'd be, I decided to check out the only unusual pair here," he said, grinning slightly. I caught onto that tidbit of 'unusual pair.' Hmph, seems as if everyone wants to see the only non-human thing here.

"Is that so? Well, I happened to notice you 'cause you seem to be the tallest person I've ever seen," I laughed. "Never seen a human around six feet tall. How tall are you?"

"6' 2", and that ain't changin'," he chuckled. "What about you two? Never seen a lizard like you before, gotta find out."

"One and a half feet," I growled. "And I'm not a lizard, I'm a dragon." I spread my wings to prove my point. He almost looked shocked, but quickly recovered as I folded them back in.

"Ah, I thought I heard about you. You're always with your pal Roxas, right?" he said, smirking. Roxas finally jumped into the conversation then.

"Yeah, Night's been my friend since I was three," he said. "He's always been close to me, and protects me."

"Yup," I confirmed with a slight nod. "Always been his best friend."

"Oh really? Well now, that might just change tonight," Axel laughed, and I noticed he sort of leered at Roxas. I knew things were going to go somewhat as Roxas hoped, I just hope that that don't go too far.

"How about a drink, on me?" Roxas offered our new friend. Axel looked at him eagerly.

"Sure, can't pass that up," he said. Roxas called over a bartender and asked for a drink for the pair of them. I thought about it and decided. I stopped the bartender before he could leave.

"Do you, by any chance, happen to have dragon fire cider?" I asked hesitantly. He paused and thought about it.

"Why, I think we do. Let me check," he said, and looked around on the wall of liquor behind him. He pulled out a tall blue cider bottle with a sticker of a dragon wrapped all the way around it. "Ah, here it is!"

"Thanks, how much?" I asked, reaching into my pack I had brought.

"Fifty dollars," he said easily. I pulled out five gold coins from my pack and handed them to him. He looked at me skeptically.

"They're pure gold coins, worth twenty dollars each easily," I explained. "That's twice the amount you asked for, so may I have another bottle?"

"Um, sure," he said, looking stunned that someone would have that much money on them at once. He turned back around and pulled out another bottle and handed it to me.

"Thanks," I said easily. Axel stared at me, shocked. I shrugged.

"What?" I asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"Who carries that much money on them all at once?" Axel asked in disbelief.

"I do, 'cause I don't let anyone touch my gold unless I give it to them," I said firmly. "Roxas is the only one I trust with my money, because he's not a big spender."

"…Wow…" was all Axel could say, and he looked amused, to say the least. Roxas quickly changed the subject as their drinks arrived.

"So, Axel, how long have you been here for? I only saw you around campus a bit today, never seen you before that, though," he asked.

"Oh, I just moved out here a month ago, mainly to get away from my parents, but my friends tagged along and we decided to make something of our lives, instead of just having a minimum wage job," Axel explained. "Besides, my parents were driving me up the wall with their arguments." He laughed.

"Yeah, I know how that goes," Roxas chuckled. I laughed softly as well, feeling the relief from my friend as it washed over him. "Never really got along well with my parents after they found out I was gay."

"Well, my parents accepted me when I came out of the closet, but they've never really gotten along with each other," Axel admitted. I watched his expression as it saddened slightly. I felt a twinge of pity for him, but Roxas seemed to cheer him up.

"I'm sorry…" he apologized.

"For what?" Axel and I asked in unison. We looked at each other, confused.

"Because I feel bad that your parents argue," Roxas mumbled. I took a quick swig of my dragon fire cider.

"Meh, don't worry about it," Axel said dismissively.

"Well, my parents just didn't accept me when I was gay, so I moved out as soon as I could. I wasn't happy in the slightest, seeing as they didn't support me," Roxas told him. He scowled as he added, "All they gave me when I moved out was basic furniture, some money, and a quick ride to my new place."

"Yeah, I remember having to pitch in the money for your car," I said softly.

"Man, that sucks," Axel muttered. "Sounds like you're lucky you have Night to help you."

"Exactly! I try not to rely on him too much, but I can't cook worth shit, barely make enough money from my job to make it through the month's finances, and can't study at all," Roxas agreed. "I'm just glad Night can cook like a pro, has a regular income, and teaches me everything in a way that I can understand. He's great."

"Sounds like you're trying to butter me up," I laughed. Roxas blushed. "It's okay, it's all true," I reassured them both. "I try to change things up for him each week as far as meals go, and I get paid each week by some company across the sea for some ideas I gave them long ago. Also, I understand everything Roxas gets taught, and re-teach it to him. I traveled around the world for a century until I found Roxas, and learned each language, history, etc."

"Well then, it seems like we could learn quite a bit from you, Night," Axel laughed.

"I can't take all the credit. I wouldn't be where I am today without Roxas," I added. Roxas blushed, and I looked at him, smiling. "It's true, and you know it!"

"Night, you're embarrassing me!" Roxas protested, trying to hide his face. I pulled his hands down and chuckled.

"Hey, you wanted to get out for the night and have some fun, and now you are, so don't be embarrassed!" I pointed out. He nodded slightly, and turned to Axel. They continued to talk like this for the night until midnight. They had continued to drink the night away, and eventually, I was able to sneak the key for my collar out of Roxas's back pocket. Once the clock tower struck midnight, Roxas started to leave for the bathroom, Axel and I following. The pair went inside to use them, and I waited outside the door. About a minute after they went inside, I was suddenly grabbed by the tail and dragged outside the club through the back door. I was thrown on the ground, exhaling sharply when I hit the asphalt. I quickly stood to see that same asshole from the last club I was in with Roxas that I had beaten up, and he wasn't alone this time; four thugs were with him. I growled with irritation; this guy was obviously out for revenge.

"Hey, short shit! It's time for some payback!" the first guy said. He was obviously their leader.

"Huh, I never thought I'd see the day where you decided to even think about coming back to try and get me," I said smugly. He jerked his head forward, and all five of them pounced. I wasn't fast enough to react; they landed on me and began to beat the crap out of me and yell insults about my size. After about a minute of this, I FINALLY was able to pull out the key to the collar from my pack and unlocked it. I snarled viciously as I regained my strength instantly, and quickly began to beat the living shit out of my attackers. I stormed away from them a little ways and spat blood from my mouth, and it wasn't my own. I had torn into those dipshits, biting, clawing, punching, and kicking them until they begged for mercy. I spat again; their blood tasted filthy and like it was packed with steroids. No wonder they looked so buff. Damn cheaters. I took off to the parking lot to look for Roxas's car, but it wasn't there. I growled to myself irritably; those two idiots took off without me! I launched myself airborne and left for home.


	3. Chapter 3

Night's View, AkuRoku

Chapter 3

*Back to Present*

"Oh, god, Night, I'm so sorry!" Roxas apologized. He looked at Axel and added, "I totally forgot about you because I passed out in the bathroom, and Axel drove me home in my car. I was barely able to tell him the address…"

"It's okay," I sighed. "Just don't do it again, please! I don't like having to work out my strength and pent up energy on living things unless I'm hunting."

"I promise, I won't leave you like that again!" Roxas promised enthusiastically.

"Yeah, same here," Axel agreed. "It's kind of my fault, too, seeing as I didn't even think about asking about where you were. I just remembered once we were home, but then we got kind of…distracted."

"Wait, you don't mean…OH MY GOD! Seriously? You guys already hooked up?" I yelped upon realization. Roxas's face turned a bright red, and he hid his blushing face in Axel's arm. Axel was even looking a bit embarrassed. I laughed and added, "Don't worry, I won't tell! I'm just surprised that it happened so fast!" They relaxed when I said that, but still had red faces.

"Night…thanks," Roxas told me earnestly. I shrugged and dismissed it.

"No sweat! You know me, I don't hurt my friends like that," I said easily. I started walking to the kitchen. "You two hungry? 'Cause I'm starving and I want to make something special."

"Sure!" they said, and followed me in.

"What's it going to be this time, Night?" Roxas asked curiously.

"You'll see, it'll be great!" I said. "I just hope you'll be hungry enough, because it's gonna be a lot of good stuff." In response, both of their stomachs growled. Mine snarled in reply to theirs. We laughed, and I got to work. I started to cook some of my favorites: crepes, bacon, scrambled eggs with cheese in them, and extra crispy sausage. I placed the bacon in the pan, and turned on the burner. I next whipped the eggs and shredded cheese into the bowl, and then put a pat of butter into the pan. Once the butter melted, I poured in the egg and cheese mix, and all the while, I had the sausage cooking in another pan. When I cook sausage, I cook it like I'm browning beef, and then get it nice and crispy. I occasionally shifted the sausage about in the pan, and then made the crepe mix. While I was stirring the mix, I used my tail to open the fridge and pulled out the jam, and then closed it. I pulled out a spoon and poured some crepe mix into the last pan, and let it sit. I flipped the bacon, stirred the eggs, and shifted the sausage once more, and then darted over and pulled out some powdered sugar, honey, and syrup from the cabinets. Once finished, I flipped the first crepe and let it finish cooking, and then I pulled out three plates. I flipped the crepe onto the first one, and then immediately poured another spoonful of batter into the pan.

"Hey, first one's up!" I called, and the pair dashed in, looking ravenous. Roxas grabbed the plate and held it out to Axel, who looked confused.

"What is this?" he asked.

"That's a crepe," I told him. "It's a French pastry that's meant as a breakfast food. You put jam in it, but Roxas and I like to add some extra stuff. Roxas, go ahead and show him." Roxas led Axel over to the toppings for the crepes I had pulled out, and showed him that you first put jam in the middle, wrap it up, and then top it with the powdered sugar. And, if you like them extra sweet, top it with either honey or syrup. Axel took one bite, and he was in heaven. Roxas and I laughed at his face as he looked at the crepe like he was in seventh heaven. "All right, here's another, and don't forget about the sausage, bacon, and eggs," I told him, and placed the second crepe on his plate. He quickly scooped up a bit of each and dashed back over to the toppings. Once he sat down, I had already gotten two more crepes onto Roxas's plate, and then he sat down shortly after Axel did. I fixed my own plate and joined them.

"How is it?" I asked.

"Awesome and amazing, as usual!" Roxas said, and I beamed. We looked at Axel, who was savoring every bite.

"Oh. My. God. Best food I've ever had!" he cried out. We laughed as I began to eat. I looked at Axel as he took a bite of the sausage. He soon was wolfing it down like there was no tomorrow.

"You like that?" I asked, mildly surprised.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" he said.

"Well, I make it extra crispy, and I've only ever known Roxas and myself to like it almost burnt," I explained. He rolled his eyes.

"I can't see why nobody else would," he said, and went back to eating. I glanced at Roxas, and he was eating as he normally did, but I noticed there was something off. I closed my eyes and looked into his heart, but he was hiding something from me. I couldn't get access, so I opened my eyes and went back to eating. We ate our breakfast in peace, and once finished, I began to clean up.

"Thanks again, Night. You're too nice for your own good," Axel told me, and I laughed darkly.

"Heh, those guys from last night wouldn't agree with that in the slightest," I replied, and they remembered. I shook my head. "Those five morons had it coming."

"I believe it," Roxas agreed with a quick nod. Axel chuckled. I grinned, showing my large white fangs. Roxas was used to it, but Axel looked at my teeth nervously. I noticed and was quick to reassure him.

"Don't worry, I only bite when I get pissed off," I told him. "And only then, to people I'm not friends with. I've got a good reputation around here for being loyal, so as long as you're good to Roxas and me, then we're cool." He nodded slowly, accepting my words.

"Night, you're gonna scare him…" Roxas murmured, looking slightly uncomfortable. Axel shrugged.

"It's okay, Roxas, he's just protecting you," Axel said easily. "I understand, he's being almost…parent-like."

"Well, when you put it that way…" I said, and laughed, Roxas joining in. After a couple of hours of mindless chatting, Axel soon had to leave.

"Oh, wait, you never gave me your number!" Roxas gasped, remembering. Axel smirked and quickly wrote down his cell number for Roxas.

"Where do you live, anyway?" I asked, cocking my head to the side a bit. "You must live close by, because I don't know of any other apartments near here that are close to the school."

"Well, I actually live here, in building 8, but apartment 8," he said, still smirking. My jaw dropped slightly. We were in apartment 13!

"Perfect! Then you're just five doors down!" Roxas said excitedly. "This is great!"

"Yeah, and you're welcome to come over anytime," I told him. He nodded and began to leave.

"Axel?" Roxas said, and he stopped in the doorway.

"Yeah?"

"Would you be willing to move in with us?" he asked after a moment of hesitation. I wasn't surprised. I looked into Roxas's heart, and saw that this was what I had noticed earlier that was bothering him. Once I snapped back into reality, I glanced at Axel. He looked thoughtful, and after a moment, he nodded.

"Sure, it'll cut down on expenses, and I have nothing to lose," he agreed. Roxas ran over and hugged him.

"Perfect! Do you want to start today?" I asked. Axel looked at me, startled.

"How are we gonna move all of my heavy furniture in here in just one day?" he demanded, and I laughed at his expression.

"I'm gonna move the heavy stuff, you two will get the little things," I explained.

"…Huh…?" he said, still confused. I sighed and jumped off the couch and picked it up with one hand. He stared in shock as I tossed it back and forth between my hands, and then gently set it back down where it was before.

"That's how," I said simply. Roxas wasn't bothered, and Axel seemed to accept it.

"That was how we moved my stuff in here," Roxas told him. "Night is the strongest, fastest, and most amazing creature—no, friend—I've ever had."

"How is he amazing, besides his skills and long life, that is?" Axel asked.

"First of all, let's move your stuff in here, and then we'll talk more," I reminded him, and we quickly got ready for the move.


	4. Chapter 4

Night's View, AkuRoku

Chapter 4

Moving Axel's stuff from his apartment to ours wasn't too bad. He only had a few things that were heavy: his bed, armchair, T.V., dresser, and bedside table. While I moved the big stuff, my friends moved everything else that they could carry. Once I had finished moving in the heavy items, I helped them for a bit with the other things. Soon after, though, I needed to hunt. I waited until they each came in with an armful of things and then I let them know.

"Hey, sorry guys, but I need to hunt. I won't be long, I just need to get a quick something to energize me," I said apologetically.

"Oh, sure! We'll be here, just don't be too long," Roxas said easily.

"Oh, please, you know me. I'm a speed demon," I laughed, and left. I was gone all of about ten minutes, and when I got back, I lounged about on the couch, picking my teeth clean with one of the bones from the prey I had eaten while I waited on Roxas and Axel. Soon after, they came in, and noticed me.

"Oh, hey, you're back!" Roxas said cheerfully. Axel was staring at the bone in my claws.

"What's that from?" he asked cautiously.

"Meh, it's just a bone from a deer I took down," I said casually. "Broke the bone, and it made a great toothpick."

"Wow…" Axel said, amazed. He shook his head as if to clear it. "Well, we actually finished while you were gone; this is the last of it." He and Roxas set down the last things, and stretched. I continued to lounge on the back of the couch, letting one leg swing back and forth below me with my hands folded behind my head. I let the piece of bone stick out of my mouth like a toothpick, and then finished cleaning my teeth with it. Once done, I tossed the bone in the trash, and jumped down from the couch. I looked around, seeing all of the boxes and bags with stuff in them.

"Pretty good, guys, pretty good," I said, impressed. "Guess we better start putting stuff away, huh?"

"Yeah, guess so…" Roxas sighed.

"Well, before we get down to the difficult stuff, I'll make us some lunch, all right?" I offered. They both perked up and looked at me eagerly.

"Well, I'm definitely more than ready for some more of your cooking!" Axel said excitedly.

"All right, all right," I chuckled, seeing their puppy dog eyes. I led the way into the kitchen and started to make something good. I pulled out some shredded beef I had kept in the fridge for a couple days now, left over from an enchilada night, and some corn tortillas. I also pulled out the deep fryer, some oil, and a small brick of cheddar cheese. Once I poured the oil into the deep fryer, I plugged it in and let the oil heat up. I also pulled out a pan to warm the tortillas, and turned on the burner for it. Once it was hot enough, I also warmed the beef in a bowl in the microwave, and then started to warm the tortillas. I realized something was off, and I turned to Roxas. "Would you mind turning the stereo on? You know where my iPod is, just plug it in and set it to a song we'll all like."

"Sure, I know how you like to listen to music while you cook," Roxas chuckled, and left to plug in my music. Axel stayed behind and watched me as I cooked.

"So, you've known Roxas since he was little, huh?" Axel asked after a moment of quiet.

"Yeah, we've been close, almost inseparable," I laughed, and then looked at him. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, it just seems to me that there's something more there than just friends," he replied.

"I guess you're right," I agreed after a quick moment of thought. "I'm more than just a friend to Roxas; I'm almost like a brother to him. I also took care of him when his parents didn't, and protected him when he was picked on for being gay. Some of the people in his old school were so cruel…I just don't get it. Some people these days just become so…judgmental. I don't understand."

"It's always hard when your friends first find out, unless they've been keeping it a secret for themselves, as well," Axel agreed. "It's easy with my friends, they're both gay and in a relationship. I'm the only one left that's still single, it seems…"

"Well, you now have Roxas, and he likes you, a lot," I told him as I rolled some shredded beef into each tortilla I warmed up. I quickly listened for Roxas and continued when I heard him in the other room, fiddling with my iPod. "He saw you and told me there was just instantly something about you that he liked. I've never known him to feel that way about anyone else. He's never had much luck with past relationships; I've seen and felt that much. I just know that with you, things will be different. It's like a sixth sense, if you get my drift. Trust me, if I know Roxas, and I do, then I give you my blessing and trust that you'll treat him right." The music soon started flowing in the room. One of my favorite songs—Club Can't Handle Me by Flo Rida.

"Oooh! I LOVE this song!" I said excitedly, changing the subject as Roxas came back into the kitchen. "Roxas, you know me too well!"

"Well, I noticed how many plays you have of it on your iTunes," he laughed. "Over 1500 plays."

"Wow, really?" Axel asked in disbelief. "How do you have so much free time?"

"Well, it helps when you don't need as much sleep as a human, and when you have nothing to do when your friend is busy," I replied. "Remember, I get a regular check each week from that company across seas for my designs, and they pay me a lot. So, I see no need to do much else besides hang with Roxas all the time. That and I don't need to attend college or anything, so I'm basically free all the time, until I need my sleep."

"Awesome! I'm jealous!" Axel cried out.

"Well, it was hard to get that job in the first place," I told him. "I had to work hard to learn how to design for them. I basically designed some characters that they use now on a regular basis, and I just provide the occasional voice to them, and then I'm set. They actually haven't called me overseas for a few months now…"

"Wait, you provide voices for characters?" Roxas said, surprised. "How come I haven't heard this one?"

"Well, I'm only gone for a couple days at a time since I get it right on my first try," I explained with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I didn't think it was too big of a deal, seeing as I only leave for two or three days at most. I don't go that often, that's also why I never mentioned it."

"Huh. Well, just try to keep me in the loop, okay?" he made me promise.

"Sir, yes sir!" I said, saluting my friend, and we all three laughed. After I finished rolling up the rest of the beef in the tortillas, I turned off the burner and started to place my homemade taquitos in the deep fryer. I was quick enough to place them in there so as not to burn myself, not that it would have mattered; I don't get burnt. That reminded me…

"Hey, Axel, you remember how Roxas told you earlier that I'm amazing?" I told him. He stopped talking to Roxas and they looked at me, remembering.

"Yeah?"

"Well, here's why…" I said, and shot a short stream of flames from my jaws, followed by a puff of smoke. Axel stared at me, dumbstruck.

"Man, I know you said you're a dragon, but I didn't think you could actually breathe fire!" he exclaimed after a few heartbeats. I snorted, making a puff of smoke come out of my nostrils.

"Well, duh! And that's not all," I said, rolling my eyes. "I can control the elements of nature, fire, water, lightning, earth, ice, wind, light, and darkness. I can control them all, but I never use darkness because I'll be controlled by it if I do."

"…Wow…" was all Axel seemed to be able to say. His jaw hung open slightly, and Roxas looked at him, concerned.

"Axel…? Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Either slap him or snap your fingers in his ear, both will work," I snickered. He snapped his fingers in Axel's ear, but nothing happened. He looked at me for help, but I shrugged. He closed his eyes, held up his hand, and I automatically cringed as I heard the SLAP!

"OUCH! What the hell?" Axel yelped, holding his red cheek.

"Well, you weren't snapping out of it, and Night told me to…" Roxas mumbled.

"Hey! Don't blame it all on me!" I protested, laughing lightly. Axel grumbled for a bit, and then hugged Roxas tightly after he apologized to his new boyfriend.

"All right, I forgive you, Roxie!" Axel said cheerfully. Roxas yelped as I laughed.

"Roxie? It's Roxas, you dolt!" he protested, but I still laughed.

"Awww, but Roxie is too damn cute!" Axel argued. Roxas just continued to complain to Axel about his new pet name, and soon, the taquitos were finished. I started looking for the scoop for the deep fryer, but couldn't find it. I shrugged and instead stuck my hands in there and pulled out the taquitos. Axel shrieked in horror at my decision, and Roxas just burst out laughing. I quickly placed them on a platter lined with paper towels and rinsed my hands off with cold water from the tap. Axel looked absolutely horrified, and his expression was priceless. I couldn't help it; I joined in on Roxas's laughter, and soon we were laughing so hard we were crying. Axel almost seemed…frozen. Once I recovered, I quickly darted off to Roxas and my room and fetched my camera, and then back into the kitchen. I quickly took a picture of Axel's face with the flash on, and he looked stunned, blinking furiously before rubbing his eyes to clear them.

"What the hell?" he said, and we cracked up again.

"Y-your face!" I laughed, wiping tears from my eyes. "It was too fucking funny; I had to take a picture!"

"Wha…?" he said, and saw the camera. I showed him the picture, and he started laughing his ass off, too. After a couple more minutes of this, we soon calmed down enough to eat. I shredded some cheese over everyone's servings of food. Axel looked at them skeptically. "What are these?"

"They're called taquitos," I told him. "They're basically rolled taco in corn tortillas, and you can put two kinds of shredded meat in them. I tend to be a beef person, though, so I typically use that, but sometimes I've used chicken. Once used pork, but I'll never, I repeat, NEVER do that again. Right Roxas?" I looked to him, and he almost turned green.

"Despite your cooking skills, the pork just tasted awful…I'm with you there," he agreed after a few deep breaths. Axel looked confused.

"Why was it so bad?" he asked as he took a bite out of one. He stared at it in amazement. "Damn, that's good!"

"Told ya," I chuckled, but grimaced at the memory. "But what made the pork ones so bad is that the pork went bad, and I didn't even realize it until we ate it. We ate, and it tasted bad, but it was all we had at the moment since we had kinda put off the very much-needed grocery trip until it was almost too late. We felt okay for a bit after eating, but then we both felt the urge to be sick. Almost fought over the bathroom, until I ran outside and puked in the dumpster. I felt bad for the trash guy in the morning." I barked a laugh at the memory of the guy's face when he had seen the vomit, but shuddered from remembering the sensation of getting sick in the first place.

"Yikes, sorry," Axel muttered. "That's gotta suck almost as bad as a hangover, and trust you and me, I've had my fair share of those."

"Yeah…Not much was able to help the food poisoning that night, nor for the next two days," Roxas added.

"Ewww, yeah, that's right, it lasted for three days, I almost forgot," I said, and shuddered. "Jeez, worst few days of my life. At least I wasn't alone." I smiled at that thought.

"Yuck, now it sounds like maybe you're tied with a hangover, seeing as you had to deal with that for three days," Axel agreed. Roxas and I nodded vigorously with wide eyes, agreeing with his statement wholeheartedly. Soon after that topic came to a close, we finished eating. I washed the dishes and dried them quickly, and then we left to put Axel's stuff away. Today was turning out to be very interesting, indeed.


	5. Chapter 5

Night's View, AkuRoku

Chapter 5

We worked on unpacking Axel's stuff for the rest of the day, only stopping for an occasional break. I opened one of the boxes and found some of Axel's…um…PERSONAL things. I immediately snapped the box shut, and quickly dashed over to another one. My face felt hot, and I knew those two could see me blushing. Roxas just looked confused, and then opened the box himself before I could warn him.

"AAAHHH! OH MY GOD, WHAT THE HELL?" Roxas shrieked, and Axel turned almost as red as his hair when he realized what it was. He picked up the box of…um…gay porn…and stashed it in his new room, separate from ours.

"I think…I'm blind…and I also think…my eyes are bleeding…" I whimpered. I knew how gay sex worked, but I CERTAINLY wasn't prepared for THAT. Blech…I shuddered violently.

"Oh, come on, it's not that bad. Stop being such a drama queen," Axel scolded me as he came back into the living room. I snapped my head up and glared at him.

"OKAY, first things first!" I announced. "I WILL not tolerate THAT in my presence. Yes, I know how it all works, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to LOOK at pictures of it…EEEWWW!"

"Jeez, all right, all right, I can take a hint," Axel said, and winked at Roxas.

"Oh HELL no if you think you're going to pull ANY of that with him!" I screeched. "Please tell me that you won't!"

"Don't worry, Night, things won't go that far. Just normal…um…you know," Roxas said, turning red.

"Yeah, don't. Just don't even think about finishing that sentence, PLEASE!" I begged, and he nodded. We quickly finished unpacking Axel's stuff, and without any more unfortunate…'incidents' like that one. My face remained red for the next seven minutes, and then lightened to nothing, thanks to SOMEONE'S personal stuff. Once finished, I looked outside to notice it was dark out. Roxas and Axel were cuddling on the couch, Roxas in his redhead's lap, nuzzling his face into Axel's neck. I chuckled softly, and they noticed me, both of their faces turning red. I snickered at the expressions on their faces.

"All right, you two, I know you're all lovey-dovey and all, but I'm gonna fix dinner soon," I said. "I'm fixing Roxas and my favorite: chicken alfredo."

"YES!" Roxas cried out, jumping out of Axel's lap. He turned to him and started to tell his boyfriend about the dish. I left to the kitchen and pulled out the package of chicken from the fridge and started to season it, and then grilled it outside on the grill. While it was cooking, I darted inside and began to boil the water and dumped the last of my homemade fettuccine pasta into the pot. I pulled out a jar of alfredo sauce from the fridge that I had made a few days prior, just in case of this, since I kinda had a feeling about this. I pulled out some french bread rolls and quickly sliced them in half. Once sliced, I spread some butter on them, and then sprinkled some garlic salt, italian seasoning, parmesan, and then finally, a dash of paprika on all six slices. I placed the cookie sheet in the oven just as my timer went off, and I went outside and I flipped the grilling chicken, and then went back inside and reset my timer. I have a great sense of time, but I need reminders when I cook, or else I lose track of it. I was quick to stir the pasta, and it was almost ready; it would be ready shortly after the chicken. I poured out the alfredo sauce into a pan to heat it up, and then the timer went off for the chicken. I pulled out a platter from one of the cabinets and pulled the chicken off, and placed it on the platter. Once inside, I sliced the chicken into a bunch of small strips, and then drained the pasta once it was fully cooked. I dumped the chicken into the pan with the sauce and mixed it all up, and then rinsed the pasta. After that, I dumped it into its rightful pan, and drizzled a little bit of olive oil over it. I stirred that up and then pulled the fully cooked garlic bread out of the oven. Once finished, I called out to my two friends.

"Hey guys! Dinner's ready!" As soon as I said it, they bolted into the kitchen, looking ready to eat. I snickered and pulled out some plates.

"Night, this looks better than last time! Thanks a bunch!" Roxas chirped. I nodded in thanks, smiling warmly.

"I hear that," Axel agreed easily. "From what Roxas told me, it sounds delicious! I'm excited!"

"Well, I also made some of my garlic bread as well, so take two—each!" I said, sounding like their mother. We each took a serving of the pasta and chicken alfredo sauce mix, and each grabbed two slices of garlic bread. As we sat down and began to eat, I let my friends chat as I thought about Roxas's ability that I had blessed him with as a small child: the ability to control light. No one, not even his family, knew that I had given him that power. I had helped him to learn how to control it over time, but it was hard to keep it all pent up when we now have a new roommate. I noticed both of them looked pained as they ate. I looked into Roxas's heart as I ate casually, and noticed he was trying to keep the energy inside. He normally can't even go a day without using it once, so this must be hard for him. I decided to talk with him once dinner was over. I remembered Axel's pained expression, but couldn't figure out why it was like that. I glanced at Roxas.

"Hey, Rox?" I said. He looked at me. "Can we talk after dinner?"

"…Yeah, that's probably a good idea…" he murmured. Axel was giving us curious looks, but I nodded in reassurance to him. He returned to his dinner. Once we had finished eating, I took Roxas to his and my shared room. Once I shut the door and locked it, I turned to Roxas.

"All right, go ahead and release some of that energy," I told him. He released his held breath, and with it came a few wisps of light energy. I glared at my best friend. "Just how long have you been holding that in?"

"Since…yesterday afternoon," he admitted. I groaned in exasperation.

"Are you kidding me?" I hissed, trying to keep my voice down so Axel couldn't hear us. "You know it's difficult for you to keep it in for so long, no wonder you looked so pained at dinner!"

"You saw that?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, and Axel had the same face for some reason, now that you mention it…" I said, looking thoughtful. I thought about it, and realized that Axel might be hiding something, too. I looked at Roxas. "I think Axel might be an element controller, too," I whispered. His eyes widened.

"How do we reveal my power to him, though?" he asked.

"Good question…" I muttered. "We'll do it together. We'll do it somewhat like how I did, only it's gonna be all you."

"…All right…But what if he's not an elemental?" Roxas asked. "And what if he doesn't like me for what I am?"

"Well, that just goes to show it wasn't true love, and then you'll be able to find someone better," I replied. "Look, let's just go out there and we'll show him, and then I'll explain everything. Feel free to jump in when you feel the need to." Roxas nodded as he released an orb of light into the air from his hand. I quickly dissipated it, just trying to help him use his magic. I unlocked the door and opened it, and then we went over to the living room where Axel was waiting and fidgeting on the couch. I jumped onto the armchair, curling up like a cat and keeping my eyes locked on Roxas as he walked over to Axel and sat next to him. I felt a slight heat radiating off from Axel, but I couldn't quite figure out why; even if he was a fire elemental, he shouldn't have a heightened body temperature. Maybe the tension in the room was getting to us. I coughed slightly, getting Axel's attention.

"Axel, there's something we'll need to share with you if you want to be with Roxas," I began, and nodded at Roxas. He released a small orb of light into the dark room, illuminating the entire place. Axel's jaw dropped, and he gawked at Roxas and the orb of light. Soon enough, he closed his mouth and shook his head slowly, a slight smile on his face.

"…I'm glad I'm not the only one, then," he finally murmured after a long, tense silence, and then chuckled. I cocked my head to the side, perplexed.

"I take it you're an elemental, too?" I guessed, and he looked at me, stunned.

"How'd you know?" he demanded.

"I have a sense about these things," I told him. "What's your element?"

"Fire."

"Simple enough. Well, I gave Roxas his power, but what about you? I highly doubt you were born with it," I said. "Who gave you your element?"

"…All right, they're onto us, Shadow! Reveal yourself!" Axel finally called, and suddenly, another dragon, exactly like me, only black, appeared next to me. I recognized him immediately as my older brother, Shadow. I gasped in shock.

"Shadow?" I yelped. He turned to me and laughed.

"You act like it's so surprising to see me, brother!" he laughed.

"Well, duh! I haven't seen you since I left the Dragon Realms!" I snapped. "Why are you here?"

"Same reason as you, only I'm here for Axel," he explained. Roxas and Axel watched our exchange with stunned expressions. After a bit more talking, we finally realized we should explain.

"Oh, sorry, guys," I said with a sheepish grin. They nodded slowly. "Well, about a century ago, I started to have dreams about Roxas, and that I was to protect him. Back then, Shadow and I lived in a place called the Dragon Realms. As you can guess, it's a world for dragons, but only armored dragons specifically. Anyway, I started to have these dreams and realized I needed to come here to the human world. I finished my training and got my guidance, and opened a one-way portal to here. I had been looking for Roxas the whole time I was here, until I finally found him when he was a toddler. I helped him as he grew up, being there for him and protecting him. When I left, I had no idea that Shadow was having similar dreams, only with Axel. When I finally met Roxas, I soon had a dream that I was to give Roxas the ability to control light. I did as the dream suggested, and granted him the power. Ever since then, I haven't had any dreams, except for when I'm depressed about missing my family."

"My part of the story is similar to Night's, only I knew about his dreams," Shadow said. "He confided everything to me, and I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't feel like I could do the same for him. Anyway, I arrived here in the human world a few years after Night, and proceeded to find you, Axel. It was basically the same thing, only once I dreamed after meeting you, I was told to grant you the power of fire. I did so, and it's the same thing as it was for Night, only I dreamed about how awful I felt about not telling Night about my dreams and not being able to see him. I knew he was here, and I even watched him occasionally, but I…I couldn't bring myself to talk to him." Shadow turned to me. "I'm very sorry, Night, about what I did, and I want to make it up to you, somehow."

"Shadow, you were wracked with guilt! I would be, too! Don't worry about it, you've suffered enough," I assured him, waving one hand dismissively. Axel and Roxas looked back and forth between us, and then Axel broke the silence.

"So, what you're saying is that…you were both led here by dreams? And it's all just coincidence that we all four met?" he asked in disbelief.

"Maybe, maybe not," Shadow said.

"Basically, Fate and Destiny can be bitches most of the time, but they have their ways of working things out," I told them. "And usually, they are merciful. They aren't always cruel."

"Huh…" Roxas said, still looking shocked. Suddenly, I stiffened. I recognized what was going on, and it took half a second for Shadow to recognize it, too. I bristled and trembled with rage and fear. My mind was about to lose control—again.


	6. Chapter 6

Night's View, AkuRoku

Chapter 6

I trembled violently from the amount of power that was suddenly flowing through me. I snarled and snapped my jaws at the nearest living thing I could reach, which was Shadow. He swiftly dodged, my jaws slamming shut like a steel trap just a hair from his leg. I roared with fury, and Axel sat there, dumbstruck. Roxas was terrified, and Shadow looked at him.

"What day is it?" he demanded.

"…The fourth of April…SHIT!" Roxas cried out.

"Dammit! I'll get him out! Stay here and I'll be back once he's back to normal! Don't explain to Axel until then!" Shadow ordered, and suddenly, he grabbed me with his full strength and we were in a forest. Once in the forest, Shadow vanished from my senses. I couldn't feel, see, hear, or smell him. I couldn't even taste his scent on my tongue. I snarled, and the sound would have made the boldest creature in existence flee in terror. I stood at my full height, sniffing the air for possible prey. My horns I gained during this time scraped against a tree behind me as I raised my head. I charged into the depths of the forest once I caught a scent. I smelled prey, and with it came a lot of blood, which was what I wanted. I roared again, sending out a small shockwave from the power of it. I growled, low in my throat, making my chest rumble from it as I stalked my prey. A mere mountain lion would satisfy my blood-lust. I charged out from the underbrush, snarling and snapping my jaws like a rabid animal, and then leapt onto the lion's back. Immediately I began to tear into the animal, ripping its flesh apart and killing it soon after the initial attack. Once it was dead, I began to drink the blood, completely ignoring the flesh. Soon enough, I was satisfied with the amount of blood in my system, and I passed out, everything going black.

When I came to, I was back in Roxas and my room, in my bed, and with a massive headache. I groaned in pain, and heard a voice say, "He's awake!" I recognized it as my brother's voice.

"What the hell happened…?" I groaned as my eyes flickered open. I sat up slowly, holding my head. My vision was kinda fuzzy as I tried to focus on the red splotch of color in my line of sight, as well as the patch of blonde. I realized Axel and Roxas were in our room, watching me.

"Hey, you okay?" Shadow asked me softly. "Haven't seen that in decades; nearly scared the shit out of me, man."

"What are you talking about…?" I hissed in pain. Shadow suddenly stuck a couple of seeds in my mouth and I swallowed immediately. The headache quickly faded. Once it was gone, realization hit me. "It was that time again, wasn't it?" I asked timidly. Shadow nodded slowly, a grave expression on his face.

"You didn't hurt anyone, but you scared the living hell out of Axel," he said, laughing nervously. I looked at Axel, and he still looked shaken up. I felt my head and realized the horns I had earlier had receded.

"Sorry Axel," I mumbled. He shook his head as though he couldn't quite believe what happened.

"Damn, man. What the hell was that all about, anyway? No one would tell me anything until you were awake," he said, smiling weakly. I looked at Shadow with shock.

"You didn't tell him?" I asked.

"Nah, I thought you should tell him, seeing as it's your condition," he replied. I nodded, and sat up further.

"All right, now where to begin?" I wondered aloud. "Okay, well basically, I have a very special venom that runs through my body. It's what keeps me healthy, kind of like an immune system, only the venom is all I need. It's amazing how it works, but for some reason, every other year on the fourth of April, the venom attacks my mind and I lose my sense of control. It ends up accessing the deepest parts of my power that's supposed to stay locked away, and it requires that I satisfy my blood-lust in order for it to release me. So, I end up hunting anything that has blood, and I drink until I'm full, and then I pass out. I can't recognize friends or foes for who they are, and I'll kill anything in my path. Not even my iron collar can stop my power when I get to that state."

"Wait, so what you're saying is that every two years, you become a raging killing machine?" Axel asked in disbelief. He looked at Shadow. "How come you don't have that?"

"It's actually a condition that pops up every few millennia, and it's very rare," Shadow replied. "Night is the only one I know of with it, and it's more a curse than anything. All of our kind has the venom, but his condition is like a curse."

"And before you ask, no, there's no cure," I added upon seeing Axel's mouth open. His mouth shut and I sighed.

"I'm sorry I scared you all like that," I apologized sincerely. "I actually forgot that yesterday was the day for it. I'm surprised it didn't hit sooner."

"Well, you were busy with us," Roxas reminded me. "After all, time flies when you're having fun, and this was certainly the case."

"Yeah…I guess you're right," I muttered. I wasn't too happy with myself; I almost killed my brother and my friends because of my condition.

"So, Roxas, how did you handle Night all these years, like back when you were a kid?" Shadow asked my best friend suddenly. Roxas looked down, unhappy.

"Actually, I didn't do anything until I could drive," he admitted. "Night would leave on his own to the forest around midnight when the day would start, and be back once it was over. He would never let me see him that way. Once I got my license, though, I started to drive him there, and then leave, waiting for him to return. This was actually the first time I've seen him like that."

"So…he never told you what happened to him?" Shadow asked.

"No. He only told me to leave him as soon as I dropped him off because it was too dangerous to be anywhere near him like that," Roxas replied.

"Damn straight!" Axel growled. I jumped, forgetting he was even in the room. I sighed heavily, feeling really guilty about almost killing them. Shadow gently flicked his forehead.

"Don't start. He already feels bad enough," my brother chastised him. We all sat there for a moment, thinking. Suddenly, I realized something.

"Wait a sec…what's today? And what time is it?" I asked.

"It's Sunday, the fifth, and it's only seven in the morning," Axel answered automatically. "We actually stayed up all night because we were worried about you."

"Well that's good…HEY! What the hell? You guys need sleep, too!" I yelped. "I got mine, but I'm sure we all need some. I think I need more time to recover…"

"Fine, we'll all four take a nap, and then talk about our plans for the trimester," Shadow agreed. "We need to figure out how we'll keep Roxas and Axel safe, as we are sworn to, without getting noticed."

"I'll get back to you on that, Shadow," I yawned. My brother curled up next to me, and soon fell asleep. Rox and Axel soon went to bed in Roxas's bed, falling asleep quickly, too. Once they were asleep, I fell asleep as well, but my dreams were filled with blood, blood-lust, and terror.


	7. Chapter 7

Night's View, AkuRoku

Chapter 7

I woke with a start, my eyes snapping open and my lungs gasping for air. Shadow was up almost as soon as it happened, and he quickly began to comfort me. I trembled with fear from the nightmare. It always happened every time I slept after I pass out from my rage. Only once every other year, yeah, but still terrifying. Soon enough, thanks to my brother's soothing tone of voice and the rubbing on my back, I was able to calm down. He understood, seeing as he comforted me every time this happened, until I left, that is. Once I was calm, he pulled back and looked me over.

"Are you okay now?" he asked softly.

"Yeah. It's that damn nightmare that gets me every time…" I mumbled and sighed heavily. Shadow nodded once in understanding. After about an hour, we got up and looked to see Axel and Roxas in bed together. I sighed happily, perfectly content seeing them cuddled together like they were. Shadow followed my gaze and copied my actions.

"It's like Fate and Destiny has decided to be good to us and them this time," he murmured. I nodded in agreement. "It's just amazing how things tend to work out, you know? And it makes me happy to finally see Axel this happy. He's dated before, but he was never this satisfied, I guess I could say."

"I know what you mean," I agreed. "Roxas was the same way. Dated other guys before, but wasn't getting his happiness fulfilled. Some of the guys treated Roxas like shit at times, too, but he was so desperate to find his true 'other half' that he didn't want to let go. Every time he broke it off, it was my fault. I made him break it off with the guy because I couldn't stand him being treated like that, and I didn't want to get directly involved unless completely necessary. I felt awful afterwards, too. He would come home and cry for a few hours, and I would soothe him. It was horrible how depressed he would feel, and it would directly make me feel the same as well due to our hearts being connected. It would get better, but not completely until he found another guy, and then the cycle would repeat itself."

"Yeah, Axel was almost the same," Shadow admitted. "He would just be angry, though, rather than depressed. I would make him break it off, too. He would cry, and I would calm him down before he started to try and hurt himself or someone else. It was a vicious cycle."

"Exactly," I said. I glanced at the time; 8:13 in the morning. "We should probably wake them up so they don't sleep the day away."

"Right," Shadow agreed quickly. We split apart, each of us going to our respective friend. I gently woke up Roxas, but right after he opened his eyes, Shadow jumped onto the bed, landing hard on Axel. He woke up with a yelp.

"OWW! What the FUCK was that for?" he demanded from my brother. Shadow just grinned. Roxas giggled and I chuckled. Axel stared at us for a moment, and then started to laugh with us because of the blush that was evident on Roxas's cheeks. I pointed to Roxas's face when he looked at me curiously, and then he felt his cheeks; they were bright red, an obvious sign of his embarrassment. I chuckled softly again and stood up. Using light, I lit the room up with an orb of my light magic. Axel yelped as did Roxas, and they both ducked under the covers to protect their eyes from the brightness. Shadow snickered from the opposite side of the bed, and darted over to the end where he ripped the covers off the pair. Both yelped and jumped from the sudden light and cold, and toppled off the bed. We all four burst out laughing, just having a good time. I parted the curtains to the window and opened the blinds, releasing sunlight in the room, and banished the orb of light.

"All right, who wants breakfast?" I asked. Three hands were quickly stuck in the air. I laughed again; it was too funny. "Okay, I'll fix cinnamon rolls for us. I already have some premade dough, but I make the icing from scratch. Let's go!" And with that, my friends and I ran out to the kitchen, Shadow skidding and smacking into the far wall next to the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and smirked as Axel and Roxas burst into hysterics.

"SHUT UP!" Shadow protested.

"Like you never did that back home?" I scoffed. "Grace never was your middle name."

"Oh please, like you're one to talk. Remember when you fell down a tree?" Shadow taunted. "You face-planted into a hawk's nest on the way down! The mother hawk kept trying to kill you!"

"At least I didn't run head-first into a skunk den while trying to show off for my mate!" I teased back. Shadow's face turned scarlet.

"Well, at least I have a mate," he growled, smirking at my suddenly devastated expression and frozen body. He immediately realized what he said and stuttered. "Night, I-I'm s-sorry, I-I didn't m-mean to, y-you know how I g-get when I'm m-mad! Sorry!"

"…" I was totally silent, unresponsive. My own brother had just hit a very sensitive subject. I had never had a mate due to my condition, and I didn't want to risk passing it down to the next generation, or even have a carrier of it. I had chosen to stay a lone dragon, never to have a mate, even though the risk had been told was minimal. I didn't want to chance it. It finally registered, and I tackled Shadow to the ground, snarling and snapping at his face as he struggled to keep me back. Roxas almost leapt for the iron collar, but I bolted out the window, shrieking my fury and misery as I flew off. I had never told Roxas much about my home life back in the Dragon Realms, so he didn't know what this meant to me, only that it was a sore subject now. I flapped my wings, and soon enough I was gliding on the thermals. I felt the tears slide from my eyes and the sobs shake through me as I flew, but I never stopped gliding. I continued to gain altitude, flying fast and flapping my wings hard until they were screaming in protest. I began to hover using my wind magic in the clouds, and I stayed there, letting the sobs wrack through my body. Tears flowed from me, and I couldn't help but just wish I was alone, back home, without Shadow and his stupidity. I couldn't believe he had said that; he knew better than anyone to avoid the subject at all costs. Yes, he's my older brother, but we're still close, seeing as we're twins. He was born first, but I was treated equally, thanks to him. I screamed from emotional agony, just wanting to curl up in a hole and die somewhere. I hated everything, and just wanted to know why I had been cursed with my damn 'condition.' I despised it so badly. How did I even get it? It didn't make any sense then, so why would it now? I shuddered, still feeling the sobs shake my body. Eventually, I cried myself to sleep. When I opened my eyes, I was standing in the misty forest of the dream world. I lifted my head and saw…none other than Shadow and my father, Naiya. He stood before me, as elegant and regal as I last saw him many decades ago. He was dead, but that didn't stop his spirit from visiting us in our dreams. I scrabbled to my feet, panicking. I was swift to run to him, looking for comfort.

"Night, what brings you here?" he asked as he embraced me. I trembled from the sadness I felt and sighed.

"…Shadow taunted me about my…not having…a mate," I mumbled. "I don't know why, though! He NEVER does that, because he knows how touchy the subject is! We were just teasing each other, and he said that!"

"Night, I'm so sorry," Naiya murmured quietly after he realized what I'd said. "I'm sure he didn't mean it, though. He is your twin brother, after all. You and I both know he does or says things without thinking, and this was one of those cases. I know you may not forgive him now, or anytime soon for that matter, but I know you can't hate him forever. You're both involved in each other's lives now, seeing as your humans are with each other. I can't quite empathize, but I can sympathize. It's hard to go without a mate, basically your other half, if you will. But trust me when I say this-" He leaned down to whisper in my ear, "—sometimes Fate and Destiny have a funny way of working things out. Think of this as good karma—you've been given a bad condition, but I highly doubt you'll never find a mate. Think about this, and when you return home, act upon your decision." Naiya soon vanished, leaving me alone in the forest. I turned and walked until I felt myself wake up in the human world. I sniffed, still deeply hurt by what Shadow had said, but decided to somewhat forgive him. I released my wind magic and spread my wings, prepared to leave for home once more. As I flew, I began to worry about Roxas and how he was taking all of this. I knew Shadow wouldn't tell him, so I would have to once I got back. I sighed internally; this was already a very long weekend, and the fact that these things had happened didn't help. I love weekends, don't get me wrong, I just hate when so much crappy stuff happens. I glided in through the open window, landing silently. Everyone noticed my arrival when I folded my wings and from the slight rush of air from my landing, though. I shuffled closer slightly, feeling awkward. My brother approached me hesitantly, looking nervous.

"Night? I'm really, truly, sincerely sorry about what I said earlier," he began. "I just reacted without thinking, and I know that's not an excuse, nothing is, but I just want you to know that I'm sorry."

"…Shadow, I forgive you," I mumbled. I reached forward and embraced him, holding him close. After a stunned moment, Shadow awkwardly returned the embrace. "I know you didn't mean it, that's why I forgive you. Just please don't ever say that again."

"I promise, I'll never do that again," he swore. I heard a small cough behind Shadow, and I glanced over to see Roxas and Axel watching us with interest.

"Soooo…Care to explain what happened earlier?" Axel asked with a slight smirk. I rolled my eyes, not that he could tell, and Shadow chuckled as we stepped away from each other. I sighed and decided to explain.

"Well, you know about my condition, and how it affects me, right?" I began, and the pair nodded. "It's because of that that I chose to never have a mate because I didn't want to pass on the genes for my condition onto another generation. Shadow has a mate, but I have chosen to live my days without one."

"Night, I'm sorry…I had no idea…" Roxas began, but stopped when I held up my hand.

"Don't be," I said simply. "It's my choice, and besides, I never told you much about my home land anyway."

"Well, still, I feel bad," he murmured. I shook my head slowly.

"Roxas, don't worry about it!" I laughed. "I've dealt with this for a few centuries, and it's not that big of a deal! Trust me when I say it's nothing."

"…All right, if you say so…" he mumbled.

"I do say so, and I also say, 'How about something to eat?'" I replied. Everyone laughed and I looked at the time; 1:08 in the afternoon. Time for lunch. I darted into the kitchen, pulling out sandwich makings, and began to make myself a sandwich. I turned slightly to my friends and brother. "Help yourselves! It's a serve yourself lunch today. I'll cook again tonight." And on that note, they all quickly ran in and started to make their own. I put a bit of each of the different lunchmeats on my sandwich: roast beef, black forest ham, turkey, salami, and pepperoni. I finished it off with a few slices of medium cheddar, and topped it with a slice of bread. I was very satisfied, seeing as this was my favorite sandwich. And as we sat down at the table to eat, I realized then that this was my family now; and not just Shadow. I had a family in Roxas and Axel now, and I was sure things would go great from here on out.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Okay, here's chapter 8, finally! I hope you all like this!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story, Night, and Shadow.

Night's View, AkuRoku

Chapter 8

I awoke to the sound of Roxas's alarm clock going off the next morning, and I jumped slightly when it startled me. When I started to get up, Roxas stirred from his bed as the alarm continued its constant buzzing. I stretched and yawned like a cat, opening my jaws wide. As I walked over to Roxas, he sat up in bed and turned off the alarm, Axel groaning beside him. I was slightly surprised to see him in Roxas's bed, but not too much. I jumped onto the bed and gently nuzzled Roxas's arm, waking him further. He rubbed my head gently, soothing my morning headache.

"Morning Night," he mumbled, and I sighed happily.

"Morning Roxas!" I chirped. "Time for classes. I'll go fix breakfast with Shadow."

"M'kay…" he sighed and stretched his arms until I heard the crick in his back and neck. I jumped off the bed and walked over to Shadow and gently woke him, too. He yawned wide, stretching like a cat as I had done.

"Morning, Shadow. It's time to get thee guys ready for classes," I told him.

"Damn, it's Monday already?" he groaned, rubbing his eyes.

"Yup, and we need to eat. We've got about an hour until they have to be there, so we're cool," I told him. He sighed heavily, standing up. I left the room, heading for the kitchen and to start breakfast. I made pancakes, but I used mix instead of homemade batter because there wasn't enough time this morning. As I mixed it up, I added a cup of chocolate chips to it and started to spoon out mix onto the griddle. As they cooked, the delicious scent of chocolate spread throughout the entire apartment. I heard the others as they started to join me in the kitchen. Axel grunted as he sat down at the table, and Roxas joined him, inhaling deeply.

"Smells great, Night," he praised me. I shrugged.

"Well, I'm just using instant mix, rather than homemade today since there isn't enough time," I told him. I glanced at Shadow as he walked in slowly. "Hey, Shadow, can you heat up the syrup bottle in the microwave? Two minutes, tops."

"K-k, gotcha," he mumbled. I looked at him, concerned.

"Shadow, you're never this tired. What's going on?" I asked. He gave me a look that read 'I'll tell you later.' I nodded to him in understanding. He jumped onto the counter and pulled out the bottle of syrup from the cabinet, and then opened the lid and placed it in the microwave, setting it for two minutes. After the syrup was finished, the pancakes finished at the same time. I called everyone over, and they piled pancakes onto their plates, smearing butter on each one and pouring some syrup on them, too. Once we all sat down to eat, Shadow looked nervous, and I decided to guess.

"Shadow, are you nervous because of the college campus discovering you?" I asked. He looked at me, stunned.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" he grumbled, scowling.

"I didn't, I just guessed," I stated in a matter-of-fact tone. My brother just continued to scowl, but then ate, looking nervous. Axel and Roxas looked back and forth between us.

"What are you so nervous about, Shadow?" Roxas asked. "There's nothing to be scared of; Night shows himself all the time, ever since I was first picked on for being gay." Axel looked at his boyfriend in surprise.

"Really? Shadow has always stayed hidden outside because he didn't want to be discovered," he told us. Shadow whipped his head to glare at Axel.

"And with good reason!" he spat. "I'd rather not be the next great 'discovery' in the world, thank you very much!"

"Shadow, if it hasn't happened to me, I highly doubt it'd happen to you," I tried to assure him, and it worked to a certain extent. He nodded, relaxing a bit, and we finished breakfast in peace. When we were done eating, I darted about the kitchen, cleaning up the mess while Roxas and Axel packed their school stuff in their backpacks. They waited patiently as I finished up, and then I jumped onto Roxas's right shoulder and perched there on all fours. Shadow looked at me, then at Axel. The redhead nodded with a slight smirk, and Shadow jumped onto his left shoulder. We then left our apartment and locked up, but as we were leaving to the stairs, we heard a pair of voices.

"Where is he? He should be up by now," the first voice said.

"Demyx, you're probably worrying over nothing," the second voice reassured the first. Curiosity piqued, Roxas led the way over to where Axel's old apartment was, and where the voices were coming from. Waiting by the door to the redhead's old apartment was the sandy blonde and blunette from last Friday night. The taller of the two, as in the sandy blonde, was looking at the door worriedly and pacing a bit while his shorter, blue-haired friend stood there with a book in his hands, reading it calmly. Roxas and I cast Axel and Shadow confused looks, and they smiled sheepishly.

"That's Demyx and Zexion, our friends," Axel explained. "I forgot to tell them we changed apartments and that we're living with you now. They must have wanted to meet up with us to walk to class. The good part is that they already know about Shadow and everything with him." Roxas nodded with a smile in understanding while I just looked over at the pair.

"Aren't we going to meet them, then?" I asked. "After all, it would be flat-out rude to ignore them, now wouldn't it?" I smirked at the last sentence, and Axel and Shadow each sighed.

"Right," Axel muttered, and we walked over to the pair at the door. The sandy blonde noticed us and nearly flung himself onto Axel, if it hadn't been for Shadow on his shoulder, that is. Shadow smiled reassuringly at the energetic teen, and allowed him to hug Axel.

"Hey Axel!" he said cheerfully. "What happened to you Friday night? You vanished without telling us where you were going! And why's Shadow out in the open? He's always hiding!" Shadow huffed indignantly at the last statement.

"Okay, first off, we changed apartments," Axel told him. "We're living with Roxas and Night now. Second off, Roxas and I came back here after…umm…talking on Friday. Third, Shadow's not going to hide anymore. He's staying out in the open like his brother. Does that answer everything for you, Dem?"

"Yep, I think so!" he replied. "But wait a sec…You need to introduce me and Zexy to them!"

"Well, they're right here, Demyx," Shadow pointed out, gesturing to us. 'Demyx' must not have realized we were there, because he looked at Roxas and me with big, sea-green eyes. The blunette still hadn't looked up from his book, but Shadow soon remedied that. He snatched the book away and snapped, "You know it's rude to ignore my brother and his friend. Introduce yourself, now." The blunette sighed irritably at this, but came over to us as well.

"Zexion," he said simply. "Nice to meet you, Roxas and Night." And with that, he grabbed the book back from Shadow and stuck his nose in it again. My brother sighed heavily and turned to Demyx.

"Your turn," he told the sandy blonde. Demyx squealed happily and did a little happy dance in place, and then came over to us. He looked at Roxas first.

"I'm Demyx, one of Axel's best friends and Zexion's boyfriend!" he said, and held his hand out to Roxas.

"I'm Roxas, and this is Night," Roxas told Demyx, and accepted the handshake, holding it firmly in his grip. They shook, and Demyx held his hand out to shake mine, but I didn't shake his hand, and wit good reason.

"Sorry, but I'd rather not slice your hand open or crush it on accident," I explained when he gave me a puzzled look. Demyx quickly snatched his hand back, and we laughed. Roxas pulled out his phone and looked at the time.

"Holy shit! We need to go, now!" Roxas yelped, and we quickly took off for the college campus. Roxas had memorized his schedule, but Axel obviously hadn't so as we ran, Shadow looked it over. When he finished, he looked at me and told me that the pair had the same classes. I smiled at that; this meant the two would get some bonding time. We skidded to a stop at the front of the school, and Demyx and Zexion split off to go to their own classes. Roxas led the way to our first class of the day, Axel right on his heels, and we burst through the door right before the bell rang.

"Nice of you to join us, Mr. Strife and Mr. Sinclair," the professor said irritably. He probably wanted to put our asses in detention, the jerk. Roxas and Axel quickly fled to their seats, not wanting to suffer the wrath of that which is Professor Xaldin. Shadow and I stayed where we were on our respective partners' shoulders as they sat down, ready to take notes. Professor Xaldin was a freaky guy, to say the least. He had black hair which was styled into dreadlocks and tied up in a ponytail, as well as quite a bit of facial hair. His voice could sometimes make your blood run cold, depending on how much of a pansy you are and how pissed off he is. I had never run into that issue, however, seeing as I could easily kick the toughest fighter in the world's ass to the curb, but I didn't want to get Roxas in trouble, so I just kept my mouth shut if the blonde was in trouble. I wasn't quite certain about Shadow and Axel, though.

Given my brother's temper, I was sure he would probably end up in at least five to ten fights this year. I also wouldn't be surprised if Axel was involved or the reason for them occurring, either. Shadow, back at home, was notorious for almost killing people who poked fun at his size. I had helped him a bit with that, but he still would beat the shit out of anyone who did. I sighed quietly at that thought; Shadow can't be doing that, or it'll be more trouble than it's worth. We can't have police getting involved, or else Shadow's nightmare may come true: getting sent to labs to be studied or shown as the 'greatest discovery' or something. I was snapped out of my thoughts as the bell suddenly rang, effectively cutting the lecture short and almost scaring the daylights out of me. Almost.

Roxas got out of his seat and packed up his things, as did Axel as Shadow and I watched.

"So…what class do we have next?" Axel asked. Shadow suddenly looked slightly nervous for a reason I couldn't quite figure out.

"Chemistry, why?" Roxas answered.

"Sweet!" Axel cheered excitedly, pumping his fist, and Shadow groaned in misery. The redhead looked at his partner, raising a brow, and asked, "What?"

"You know exactly what," Shadow muttered.

"Is this about that time back in senior year when I blew up the chemistry class as my senior prank?" the redhead demanded.

"Yes, and it was AWFUL!" Shadow snapped at him. "Do you realize how badly I suffered from that smoke and from the stench of the gas that you used? I felt horrid for days after!"

"Yeah, I remember," Axel replied, looking thoughtful. "After all, I had to fireproof my house after that whole ordeal, thanks to your sneezing."

"Well, maybe if you hadn't done it in the first place, I wouldn't have nearly caused the house to burn down!" my brother hissed. They continued bickering all the way to the chemistry classroom, and when we had all four sat at a table, they were still arguing. Finally, Roxas ended it.

"Would you two knock it off already? Jeez, you're giving me a headache already, and it isn't even noon yet!" he growled, and his words effectively shut them up. I snickered slightly as their expressions, which were both equally stunned. The pair remained silent all through class, but I noticed Axel had a lighter in his pocket that he would occasionally pull out and look at as though he was wondering what he should do with it. Shadow was watching him closely, though, so Axel didn't light anything on fire, mercifully.

Eventually, we got to lunch, and since we were allowed off campus for our meals, we walked off to the nearest burger place for our midday meal. Roxas and Axel ordered their food while Shadow and I sat at a booth in the back corner by the windows. We were being quiet, not bothering anyone at all when the pair of us suddenly heard a voice taunting us.

"Hey, look! A pair of freaky lizards!" the voice taunted, and Shadow's already black eyes darkened even more at the insult. I whipped my head around to the source and saw it was some idiot teens that were cackling over the words their supposed leader had said. I glared at them and bared my fangs, but they didn't stop; rather, it made them laugh even harder. "What are you gonna do, shorty? You gonna try and bite us with those little teeth?" Another roar of laughter passed over the group at this. Roxas and Axel soon joined us, and they scowled at the idiots that were making fun of us. I looked to my blonde friend for permission, and he nodded once firmly, keeping his glare on the teens. I jumped up onto the back of the booth seat and snarled at them, getting their attention. They looked at me, then at each other, and laughed again.

"Okay, you fuckers wanna take this outside so I don't break anything I'm not supposed to?" I snapped. They howled with laughter again, but the leader nodded and led his little group of five other teens outside with him. Roxas, Axel, and Shadow followed, and then settled themselves for the show outside on the bench right next to the door. I cracked my knuckles in anticipation as I trailed after them. They surrounded me, sadistic grins on their faces, and started to close in. Right before they pounced, though, I whipped my tail around, swiping them all off their feet. I flared my wings in a threatening manner, and snorted, releasing a puff of smoke from my nostrils. When they got up again, I crouched low to the ground and launched myself at the nearest teen, crunching my fangs into his shoulder hard enough to provide a lot of pain, but not enough pressure to break his shoulder. He screamed like a girl from the pain of it, and gripped his shoulder, which was now starting to bleed heavily. The next guy I threw a right hook at, breaking his nose, if the crunch I felt under my fist was anything to go by. I swiftly whipped my body around, smashing my tail into the third guy's chest and sending him flying back into the wall of the building. He slid to the ground, stunned, and the last three guys looked at each other, a little nervous. I grinned cockily at them as they seemed to perform internal debates with each other. Finally, the largest one of the three charged at me, fist raised, and I jumped up and spun, performing a roundhouse kick to his head as he got close. He crumpled to the asphalt, out cold. The last two, the leader and one of his lackeys, stepped closer, but quickly turned chicken and started to flee. I chased them down, snarls ripping out of my chest and snapping my jaws at the backs of their ankles as I ran.

"That's right, you better run! Run away like the wimps you are!" I yelled after them as they turned a corner after I stopped chasing them. I went back to my friends, and Axel let out a low whistle while Roxas smirked.

"Damn, didn't think you could fight like that, Night," the redhead told me. I scowled at him, insulted.

"What does that mean?" I demanded.

"Nothing, I just didn't think you would fight without using magic," he explained quickly. I relaxed at that.

"Well, I never use magic against regular humans," I stated with a shrug. "I've always just used my strength." And with that, we went back inside and got our food, eating inside where Shadow and I had picked out the booth in the first place. After eating, we went back too campus and attended the rest of the classes for the day. Upon arriving home, I flung myself onto the couch with a groan, feeling strangely exhausted. Shadow snickered at my actions, but stopped when I fixed him with a glare. After a few moments of not moving from the couch, Roxas decided to order take-out for once instead of making me cook, for which I was grateful.

We ended up deciding on some Chinese food, and I got two of my favorites: chicken fried rice and pork fried dumplings. I wolfed my food down that evening, eager because it was so good. We chatted about the day as we ate, talking about which professors were the best and worst, which were the creepiest, and which ones dished out the most homework. We settled on Tifa being the best, Saix the worst, Vexen the creepiest, and Xaldin being the one who dished out the most work. Tifa was a truly kind woman, while Saix seems to just want to make everyone miserable. Vexen was flat-out creepy because he seriously reminded everyone of a mad scientist. Xaldin…he just seemed to hate everyone, and therefore gave the most homework, and thus making everyone in his classes miserable.

After we finished eating and chatting, it was close to 10, so we left for our room. Anyway, the blonde and redhead went to bed after changing and brushing their teeth, and Shadow and I went to their room to sleep as well. I curled up in my bed, tucking my nose into my tail, and fell asleep, feeling at ease with the world for the first time in a while.

A/N: Sorry I took forever to finally post this! I had extreme writer's block with this one, and I'm hoping to get the next chapter out a bit faster than this one took me! Also, please enjoy, read, & review, people! Reviews make me happy!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Here's Chapter 9! *throws confetti* I hope you liked the last one, seeing as that had some fighting in it! Hooray for physical beat downs on bullies! Sorry, but I don't like bullies since I was a victim back when I was a kid. Also, this is the last chapter. Sorry! Anyhoo, on to the story!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story, Night, and Shadow.

Night's View

Chapter 9

The next few months passed by peacefully, and nobody bothered us after hearing about the incident at the burger place. Not even Seifer, the resident bully at the college, bugged us. He knew better, and obviously didn't want his ass handed to him by either Shadow or myself. Anyway, Roxas and Axel had gotten closer, and had moved from just holding hands in the hallway or in classes to sometimes having heated make-out sessions in the hallway or bathroom, maybe even the locker room. Axel always instigated it, but I knew Roxas teased him plenty, so hence deserved it. Sometimes I didn't get everything that went through that blonde's head, but what the hell. The only part that sucked about them getting closer was that they also had…um…sex…more often. I swear, the walls need to be thicker. I hate thinking that word, though. It makes me shudder…

Changing the subject now! Shadow has been doing much better with his anger issues, and has been regularly keeping himself in check. He hasn't fought anyone since Seifer poked a bit of fun at his size, landing the dumbass in the hospital and Shadow into the apartment for a few days in hiding. My brother had realized then that he needed to learn some anger management, so that was when he started. He began meditating, counting to ten if necessary, and taking deep breaths if need be. He's gotten really good at it, and I'm proud of him.

Also, it's getting close to winter break, so we're going to spend it with Axel's family. Demyx and Zexion are coming with us, too, seeing as they had nowhere else to go. Axel had already told his family about Roxas and my situation, and that we couldn't go to the blonde's parents' house for the holidays, and Axel's mom was fine with it. We had our stuff packed, ready to leave, and all that needed to be done was the boys needed to finish their finals for their classes. We were walking to the campus, chatting about random stuff.

"But seriously! I think it's really tasty!" Demyx was saying.

"Demyx, how on earth can you find canned salmon appetizing in the slightest?" I demanded, wrinkling my nose in disgust.

"I love any kind of fish!" he chirped.

"Okay, I like fish, too, but that's just sick," Shadow muttered.

"I agree," Roxas added.

"Me, too," Zexion chimed in.

"I second that," Axel chuckled.

"I third that notion!" I said quickly. We all laughed at my remark while Demyx pouted, and turned the corner onto the campus. Once in the hallway, the boys wished each other luck and we went our separate ways. Roxas and Axel entered the room, Shadow and I right behind them. My brother and I settled down in the far back corner, away from our partners, and stayed silent for the two hours of the test. Next thing I knew, the bell was ringing far too loudly, and it felt like it was right in my ear. I squeaked in shock and pain, getting to my feet quickly. I almost fell over when I tried to stand, however, and I felt slightly light-headed. I must have fallen asleep during the test. Well, that was one down, five to go. This process repeated itself for the five remaining tests, and when the day was finally over, we were all tired, but Roxas and Axel especially. The poor boys were exhausted from having to sit through all of those tests and wrack their brains to figure out the answers. I was just happy that Shadow and I had helped the blonde and redhead study a week beforehand. I was certain that they'd get at least B's on them, if not A's. Currently, we were walking home to the apartment, and it was around 5 PM.

"So…what should we do as a celebration dinner?" Roxas wondered aloud as we walked. It was starting to get dark out, so I wanted to get back before it was totally dark and before the creeps hit the town.

"How does crab sound?" I offered. The others looked at me, surprised. "What? I can cook crab, you know…"

"No, it's not that, Night," Axel assured me. "We were just wondering where you'd get the crab."

"Easy, I'll go to the store and pick some up," I said simply. "Some stores sell fresh crab and lobster." I clapped my hands together. "That settles it, then! I'll go there real fast and get some, and I'll meet you guys at home. I hope you'll have an appetite, 'cause I'm getting six snow crabs."

"Only six?" Shadow said, confused. "And why snow crab?"

"Snow crab tastes the best because it has a sweet taste to the meat," I explained. "And six of them makes 12 clusters. That's plenty of food."

"Gotcha," my brother replied, nodding. I split off from the group after a bit and took to the skies, flying in the evening air to the nearest store that sold fresh seafood. I found one, bought six snow crabs, and flew back home as quickly as possible. I flew in through the open window, startling Axel a bit, and causing the other two to laugh at him a bit. Even after a few months of living here, he still isn't used to my flying in through an open window.

I greeted my friends and brother, and then darted into the kitchen to start dinner. Pulling out a large pot and filling it with water, I placed it on the stove and started up the burner. Once that was done, I began to peel some garlic and crush it directly into the pot. It took me about a third of the bulb to provide enough flavor. I then pulled out some herbs and chopped them up, dumping them into the pot, too. Soon enough, the water started boiling, so I swiftly plucked out each crab and dumped them into the pot one by one, taking off the rubber bands on their claws before dropping them into the boiling water. I placed the lid on the pot once they were all in, and then set the timer for the right amount of time. As I rejoined the others out in the living room, they brought me into their conversation of the plans for the break.

"So, what are your parents like, Axel?" Roxas asked his boyfriend.

"They're cool," the redhead simply stated, but a grin grew on his face. "Actually, it's just going to be my mom and sisters. My dad's out of the picture, so you won't meet him. Anyway, Mom's great. She acts like she's everyone's mom. She's already claimed Demyx and Zexion as her second and third sons, and I'm sure she'll claim you as her fourth." Roxas blushed at that. "She also knows about Shadow, and the fact that he granted me fire."

"I'm sure she'll be accepting of Roxas's light, too, right?" I asked.

"Of course!" he assured me. "If she accepted that I can control fire, she can accept that Roxas controls light. Anyway, my sisters, Kairi and Naminé, are twins, but they don't look exactly alike. Kairi's a redhead, and Naminé's a blonde. Naminé likes to draw most of the time, and Kairi hangs out with friends a lot, so you probably won't see much of her except on Christmas."

"Sounds fine by me," I said. "I'm just glad we won't be alone for the holidays, right Roxas?"

"Yeah, it'll be nice to be with someone again," he murmured. Axel hugged him, knowing something was up, and kissed his forehead. I decided to explain.

"Roxas and I, when we were kicked out by his parents, didn't have anyone to go to for a couple years," I told him. "We just had our belongings and money, but even though we had this freedom, it sucked not having family or anyone to celebrate any holidays with. It's been this way for the past two years." Axel's jaw dropped and his eyes widened; he was shocked.

"Why didn't you try and get with someone to do something?" he asked.

"We didn't have anyone to go to, remember?" Roxas reminded him quietly. "My parents forbid any of my family from helping us or even talking to us." Tears budded in the corners of his blue eyes, but he sniffed and held them back. After a few minutes, Shadow spoke.

"Well then, that's all the more reason to make this one even more special for you both," he reasoned. I thanked my brother, and then the timer for the crab went off. I dashed into the kitchen, turned off the burner for the pot, and started to prepare the dishes for everyone's meals. As I went about my work, Shadow joined me in the kitchen.

"Need any help?" he asked.

"Yeah, can you please melt the butter for the crab?" I asked, handing him the butter and some small cups for it. He nodded and began to carefully melt the butter using his magic, allowing it to drip into the cups and filling them up. While he did that, I was sticking my claws into the still boiling water and fishing out the crab. When I pulled one out, I would tear it in half, making a couple of clusters. I placed them on a big platter, and when I finished, Shadow finished as well, so I called the other two for dinner.

"SWEET!" Roxas cried out happily, and burst into the kitchen, ready to eat. He snatched up a plate, Axel close behind him, and they each grabbed three clusters. They seated themselves at the table, and Shadow and I joined them with three clusters each on our own plates. I was swift to crack open the claw on my first cluster, using my fangs to do so. At the sound of the crunch, I noticed Axel wince slightly, and I smirked.

"What? Can you not use your teeth to crack open crab legs?" I teased. He grimaced, and I pointed at Roxas, who was tearing into his crab legs with his teeth, too. Axel's jaw dropped, shocked that Roxas was acting so ravenous, and I snickered. Shadow crunched onto a crab leg and quickly used his tongue to fish out the meat from inside. Axel shrugged and decided to copy, and we all ate the crab like animals. When we finished, Axel leaned back in his chair, rubbing his full stomach. Roxas did the same and sighed.

"Damn, that was the best crab I've ever eaten," Shadow murmured as he sat back on his haunches. I looked at him with a smirk.

"Well, I am an amazing cook, after all," I told him smugly.

"Pfffft, puh-lease, that's just because you arrived here in the human world before I did, and hence had more time to learn about cooking than I did," he scoffed. I just snorted, a little puff of smoke being released from my nostrils in the process. Axel laughed, albeit tiredly, as did Roxas. After cleanup, we all four went to bed, exhausted. What sucked was that we were leaving for Axel's family's place the next morning, and the plane left at 5 AM. So when we woke up, it wasn't to peace and quiet, it was due to an alarm clock going off at 3. I was startled awake by the sudden noise, jumping about a foot in the air with a yelp. When I saw the time, I was pissed.

"_Fuuuuck_," I hissed, and woke Shadow, followed by us waking Roxas and Axel. The pair in the bed woke up all right, but then almost went back to sleep. I sighed heavily, not wanting to do this, but…I had no choice.

"WAKEY WAKEY! WE'RE LEAVING IN HALF AN HOUR!" I shrieked at them, and they were wide awake. Shadow snickered, but then it turned into full-blown laughter at the pair's expressions. Axel looked murderous while Roxas looked like he was about to have a heart attack. I burst out laughing, and fell off the bed in my laughing fit, just making Shadow and me laugh even harder. Eventually, Axel calmed down and snickered at me, while Roxas joined in on our laughter. Once we had all sobered up, we started to pack the last minute items, like toiletries and stuff. Upon finishing, we each grabbed something to snack on for the trip to the airport as breakfast, and walked out to the car. We were going to meet Demyx and Zexion at the gate for our plane.

It was technically my car, but I hardly drove it, tending to let Roxas drive instead. And that was the case this morning. We loaded our things into the backseat, and when we finished that, Roxas slid into the driver's seat while Axel took the passenger's seat. Shadow and I jumped into the back. Have I ever mentioned how much I love this car? I really do, even though I rarely drive it. It's a beautiful silvery blue 2008 Honda Civic LX, an automatic. Much easier to drive, in my opinion. And the fact that it's only 4 years old is great! I slipped to the front, plugging my iPod in the stereo, and turning it to another good song: No More Sorrow by Linkin Park. As the music blasted through the car, we woke up a bit, and it helped that when the music changed to the next song, Bleed It Out by Linkin Park, I started to sing to it. I love fast-paced songs, they help keep me upbeat. Once we reached the airport, we lugged our…luggage with us into the building. We dropped off the suitcases, and then left to find Demyx and Zexion, keeping our carry-on bags with us. We soon found them, but they looked exhausted.

"Hey guys!" Shadow called to them as we approached. They snapped their heads up to look at us, and both of them had a slight bit of darkness under their eyes.

"Whoa, what the hell happened to you?" Axel asked. Roxas rolled his eyes and gave his boyfriend a look that read, "Really?"

"Why do you two look so exhausted?" he asked in a kind manner.

"We were out late last night, close to 1 AM," Zexion groaned.

"Seriously?" I asked in disbelief. "Why the hell would you be out that late when you knew we had to be up at 3?"

"We didn't mean to, we just lost track of time," Demyx explained. "We were out at the club, and the time just flew by."

"Damn, well, I'm sure you can sleep on the plane," I told them.

"Yeah, the flight's about 5 hours anyway," Axel pointed out. "Try to sleep on the plane. We're in first class, after all."

"Thank god for that," Shadow said, giving me a grateful look. I was the one who had paid for the tickets, setting us up with first class seating. I almost set up for a nice hotel reservation, but Axel told me we would be staying at his mom's house. She sounded like a very nice woman, but I couldn't even begin to imagine what she looked like. Well, we soon went on the plane, seeing as it was time to board, and took off.

Shadow stared out the window almost the entire time we were in the air, Axel and Roxas cuddled in the seats next across the aisle from my brother and me, and Demyx ad Zexion slept the whole time behind Shadow and me. Me? Well, I played one of my games I hadn't touched in forever it felt like, Pokémon White. I actually beat the game right before we had to land, and I put it Nintendo DSi in my bag again. Yeah, I know, I'm a dragon, but I can still play video games!

We stepped out if the plane by late afternoon and left for the luggage pick-up area, where we were to meet up with Axel's mom and sisters. I stretched like a cat when we got off, and felt my back and neck crack and pop in about four different spots; I sighed in relief. The six of us walked down to the luggage area, and when we got there, Shadow and Axel were suddenly being hugged by a pretty brunette woman.

"Oh, my boys, it's so good to see you again!" she said happily, her eyes closed tight as she hugged the redhead. Shadow had escaped her grasp, climbing onto Axel's shoulder instead of being on his arm, and stared at her with wide eyes. When she released Axel, she quickly hugged Zexion and Demyx, and then turned to us. "You two must be Roxas and Night!" she said happily. "It's so very good to finally meet you, so welcome to the family!" And with that, she hugged us both. Roxas hugged her back, as did I, but I was very careful not to scratch her. "My name is Aerith," she finally said when she let us go. I looked her over, and noticed her eyes; they were a soft, lovely green, almost like spring leaves. Now I knew where Axel got his eyes from, at least. Her long brown hair was tied back with a pink ribbon, and her pink dress matched it. She was a very kind woman, I determined.

"Nice to meet you, Aerith," I told her, satisfied. She nodded, and dragged two young girls by their arms over to meet us.

"These two are Kairi and Naminé," she said. Kairi looked bored, but Naminé just looked shy.

"Hello," Roxas greeted them. Kairi simply waved while her twin murmured a shy hello.

"Well, let's get your luggage, boys!" Aerith said eagerly. "The van is waiting out by the sidewalk." We waited for our luggage to come out along the conveyer belt, and each of us grabbed our suitcases. We rolled them out to Aerith's van, which happened to be a 2006 Honda Odyssey. I love Hondas…

Once everything was loaded up, we took off, heading for Aerith's home. It took about a half an hour to get there, but once we pulled up, I was in awe. It was a beautiful home, nice and big, too. It seemed homey at the same time, which I loved. We all climbed out of the van and started to unload our bags, Shadow and I carrying the heavier ones. Kairi watched us as we carried them, and Naminé's gaze followed her sister's. Axel slung his arm over Roxas's shoulders as we walked up to the door, and Demyx dashed ahead of us, Zexion following him at a slower pace. When we walked through the doorway, Roxas's and my jaws dropped. It was a gorgeous home, nicely decorated, and with fancy-looking furniture placed in good-looking spots in each room. I nearly dropped the suitcases I was carrying, I was that surprised by the beauty of the house's interior. Axel was wearing a silly grin on his face as he took in our reactions.

"Well…what do you think?" he asked. I stared at him with a look that quite literally said, 'Are you serious?'

"Dude, this is amazing!" I shrieked. "I've never lived in a place this nice before! Not even when overseas!" The redhead stared at me, shocked.

"Even with your fortune?" he yelped. Roxas was still staring around the house.

"No, not even when in other countries," I told him. "None of them were this nice in feeling or in looks. They all made me feel weird, so I would tend to sleep in one of the trees in a nearby garden or park. None of them ever had a homey feel to them, and that's what I love about this place."

"I'm glad you like it," he said proudly. He looked at Roxas, whose sapphire colored gaze was still roaming the room we were in. "What do you think, Roxie?" Roxas snapped out of it then.

"Huh? Oh, Axel, I love it!" he said excitedly. "And don't call me Roxie," he added as an afterthought while I sniggered. "Where's your room?"

"Well, I'm glad," the redhead replied, his emerald eyes shining. "Anyway, my old room is down the hall here, and that's where you, Shadow, Night, and I will be sleeping. Demyx and Zexion will have the guest room."

I nodded in agreement and let Axel lead the way to his old bedroom. He opened the door and walked inside, Roxas, Shadow, and I right behind him. Roxas and I looked around at the various posters and pictures around the room, noticing Axel seemed to have a thing for music and his family. He also had an acoustic guitar propped up in the corner, looking brand new. His bed, which was a queen size, had a black and red comforter on it with black and red sheets underneath. He had some small dragon sculptures and statues on shelves, and about half of them had flames either around them or coming from their jaws. It was apparent of his admiration towards Shadow, but also to still be himself.

"I like the statues, Axel," I told him honestly.

"Thanks, made 'em myself," he said proudly while he unpacked. Roxas stared at him, shocked, as did I.

"You really made those?" Roxas asked, and his redhead nodded. "I didn't know you could sculpt."

"Yeah, I helped teach him," Shadow chimed in. "He took to it like a natural."

"Damn, yeah, I almost forgot how good you could sculpt, Shadow," I said, remembering.

"Boys, dinner's almost ready!" Aerith's voice called to us. I looked at the digital clock on the bedside table, and it read 6:56 PM. Wow, it's already nearly 7. We quickly finished unpacking our things and dashed out to the hall. Demyx and Shadow ran out at the same time, colliding into each other. We all burst out laughing, and Kairi walked to the hall, an annoyed look on her face.

"Will you guys shut the fuck up and get out here?" she snapped. We sobered up as we walked out to the living room, which led to the kitchen. I hung back near Axel so I could ask him something.

"Is she always like that?" I whispered to him.

"Nah, only when it's that time of the month or when she's hungry," he said. "Otherwise, she's not that bad. But it's worse when it's both." He shrugged, and I shrugged with him, followed by each of us chuckling a bit. We entered the kitchen to see Aerith finishing up with her cooking, and setting everything out on the counters for us. I darted over and helped her with setting up the dishes for the food, and she flashed me a grateful look before finishing the last second touches on the food. Turns out, she had made a delicious-looking pan of breaded chicken, some garlic bread, and angel hair pasta with garlic salt, butter, and parmesan cheese in it. She turned to us when she was done.

"All right, boys, help yourselves!" she said cheerfully. Axel darted over, but his mother held him back with a light smack on the back of the head. "Guests first! You know that, Axel!" He gave her a sheepish grin, but stepped back and let Zexion and Demyx go first. After they grabbed their food, Roxas and I went next, and then Axel, Shadow, Kairi, Naminé, and finally Aerith set up her plate. We all sat down at the large dining table in the dining room, and once Aerith was sitting, we all began to eat. One bite from the chicken, and I was in heaven.

"Aerith, this is delicious!" I told her, and she blushed, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said. "It's just a seasoning of curry powder, Italian seasoning, parmesan, and some other things. I have the recipe written down if you want it, Night."

"That would be great!" I chirped. "Roxas and I love chicken dishes, and this'll be a great addition to my recipes."

"Oh, you cook?" she asked, surprised.

"How can you cook if you're so small?" Kairi asked rudely, and I was able to keep my anger in check, but I did snort a tiny flame from my nostrils at the insult.

"I may be small, but I can move quickly and easily in a kitchen," I huffed. "Ask Roxas, I can cook some great dishes. Even Axel knows how good my food is." Aerith looked at the aforementioned pair for confirmation, and they nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, Night's pretty damn good in the kitchen!" Axel said. "He made crepes for us the first morning I spent there, and beef enchiladas for dinner that same night."

"Also, he makes us chicken alfredo on special nights," Roxas added. "And last night, he made us all garlic and herb crab, served hot and fresh." Kairi stared at him, shocked, after that last statement.

"Are you serious?" she screeched. "We only get crab from restaurants!"

"Well, I just buy the crab at the store and cook it how I was taught to," I told her simply. "I could make some here if you want, but there needs to be a store nearby that sells fresh, live crab."

"I think the local market sells seafood, and if so, there's bound to be live crab there," Aerith chimed in. I thanked her, and we ate heartily, finishing our food and chatter around 8:30. Once we were done eating, we cleaned up for Aerith, allowing her and the twins to go to bed once the clock hit 9. Upon finishing the cleanup, we all dragged our tired asses to bed and crashed. The boys nearly fell asleep in their day clothes, but thanks to Shadow and me, we helped them change into old t-shirts and sweatpants, and we all four fell asleep in our beds.

*A Week And A Half Later*

Finally, Christmas morning had come; we had all bought or made our gifts and wrapped them, decorated the house and tree, and made all of the preparations for the holiday. We had calmed Demyx down the night before with about six cups of warm milk, and after he used the bathroom, Zexion helped him to bed. I still had a feeling that the dirty blonde would wake up far too early and wake everyone else up, and I turned out to be right. Unfortunately.

"WAAAKE UUUUUP!"

Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and I screeched as something large thumped onto the bed, where all four of us had slept last night for once. I heard Shadow's yelp as Demyx hit the bed, and Axel and Roxas's combined yells for Demyx to, "GET THE FUCK OUT!" Demyx cackled evilly and dashed out of the room, screaming about it being Christmas morning. There were several thumps as he ran up and down the stairs, but finally, Shadow lost his temper and stormed out to the hall.

"DEMYX!" he bellowed, and then a series of uneven thumps sounded, and then a couple of pained yelps and cries. When Shadow walked back in, he was all smiles. "The deed is done," he said simply. I burst out laughing, as did Roxas and Axel. Once we all sobered up, Zexion shuffled into our room, blearily rubbing his eyes and trying to focus on us.

"What happened?" he asked tiredly.

"Demyx, that's what," Shadow grunted. "Idiot ran in here and woke us up, so I shut him up."

"Just how bad did you beat him, man?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I didn't hurt him too bad, no broken bones or bleeding, at least," he replied. "He'll be bruised and sore in a few places, that's all."

"Man, Shadow, control your temper!" I scolded. I glanced at the clock, trying to gauge when Demyx had woken us up. It was 8:13, so he woke us up at 8. When I saw that, I groaned, but got up and stretched anyway. "Let's get up, guys, because I'm already wide awake from the human alarm clock." Zexion chuckled, but left to help Demyx. We woke up the Kairi and Naminé, the first of which flipped us off while her kinder, quieter sister got up eagerly. Axel carefully woke his mother, and we all gathered around the tree in the living room, where I was given the honor of lighting the fireplace. I carefully exhaled a steady stream of fire from my jaws, and the dry wood quickly took light. The flames licked eagerly at the wood, providing a warm, cheery light for the room.

Aerith thanked me, and began to pass out presents. We all accepted our gifts and began to open them, and we were all happy with everything we got. Roxas still hadn't gotten Axel's gift yet, and I noticed it wasn't under the tree. I cocked my head sideways slightly in confusion, but shrugged it off. Everyone loved Shadow and my gifts for them; we used some of our treasures that we'd gotten over the centuries that we'd brought with us and given everyone one that matched them. Roxas was overjoyed, though. He loved the silver necklace with a white diamond key and black diamond key pendants on them. Axel also loved his silver necklace with a black, red, and silver chakram pendant on it.

Finally, Roxas had gotten a gift from everyone but Axel and he seemed kinda sad while said redhead held him. Aerith got up to go and fix breakfast, and Roxas was about to follow and help when Axel called them back. He got up from the couch and fished something out from the inside of the tree, and it looked like a small, velvet-covered ring box. He got everyone's attention, and we all watched as he got down on one knee. He fixed Roxas with his stunning emerald eyes, his gaze boring into Roxas's.

"Roxas, these past months have been the best times of my life, and I want you to know that you're the light of my life," he began. "I love you, care about you, and want to be there for you for the rest of our lives. I wish to be there by your side, through thick and thin. What I want to know is, will you marry me?" He opened the ring box when he finished speaking, and revealed a beautiful, yet simple, diamond ring. Roxas's eyes starting to shimmer with unshed tears, and he gave a slow, shaky smile.

"Yes, I will," he whispered, and Axel's responding smile was blinding. He got up, slid the ring on the blonde's left ring finger, and kissed his boyfriend—no, fiancé—deeply, and all of us except Kairi gave an "awwwww" sound. Kairi pretended to gag, but she smiled nonetheless. All in all, at the end of the day, Roxas was red in the face, Axel was sporting a brilliantly exuberant expression, Demyx still had a couple bruises, Zexion was a bit pink in the face, Kairi was thoroughly disgusted, Naminé was smiling and giggling at her sister, and Aerith, Shadow, and I were happy for every one of them. Basically, the best thing in our lives had happened when we met each other. College had been good to the six of us, and if Roxas and I hadn't ever met Axel, I never would have seen my brother again, never met the happy-go-lucky redhead known as Axel, and basically never would have improved Roxas's life. We would have spent Christmas alone until his parents died or got over their cruelty to their only son, and I would have felt awful for it. But now things are good. And it all started with a night's view.

_***X*The End*X***_

A/N: All right, I'm finally finished! Sorry that this one's so long, I just wanted to cram everything in this last chapter. I hope that everyone likes the ending! Thanks to everyone who has faved and watched and even read this story, it makes me feel good! Thanks again, guys!


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